Jessica Diaz, from Coral Springs Charter School, the $250 scholarship recipient pictured here with scholarship coordinator Ginger Miller.
By Jill Fox
What began in 1977 as a way to promote crafts and serve the city, has now contributed over $65,000 in scholarships to high school seniors in the area. The Coral Springs Craft Guild takes pride in awarding yearly scholarships to college-bound students in the community.
The recipients of this year’s annual art scholarships were Olivia Feller, from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and Jessica Diaz, from Coral Springs Charter School.
“It’s part of our mission statement to instill the love of crafting and to support handmade in our community, and what better way to do that than through the kids,” said Angelina Scarbrough, a 25-year member of the guild.
Olivia Feller from Marjory Stoneman Douglasreceived a $500 scholarship.
The purpose of the craft guild is to improve the quality of hand-crafted items sold in the area, stimulate creativity and provide an outlet for the exhibition of members’ work, as well as to interact with the public through scholarships and many other community service projects.
In addition to holding two major events: a spring function and a fall craft show, the nonprofit organization plans certain activities and events explicitly designated to benefit the scholarship program.
Scarbrough mentioned the number of local crafters has dwindled through the years, due to retailers like Michaels, and Hobby Lobby coming to the area, but the craft guild still puts on a significant show every October, currently in its 42nd year.
The qualifications for the college scholarship are that the student has to be a graduating senior living in Coral Springs or attending a Coral Springs high school, or their parent is a member of the craft guild.
Each year, the organization gives out at least one $500 award, and if funds permit, they give more. In recent years, the guild has been able to provide two scholarships.
For the past several years, the blind judging process has been done the same way: the craft guild members, who are artists themselves, gather at the home of the scholarship coordinator, Ginger Miller.
“We all go over to Ginger’s, we have refreshments, and we rank the display of artwork. Then it’s tallied at the end of the night,” said Scarbrough.
As far as entries go, the guild has seen everything from photography to fashion, drawing to pottery. Scarbrough said one of the past winners was a sugar artist, “and his stuff was phenomenal.”
The Guild holds a general meeting on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at Cypress Hammocks Park at 1300 Coral Springs Drive. For more information, visit CoralSpringsCraftGuild.com.
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